ATLANTA — A bizarre and unexpected disruption stopped play in the final minute of Tuesday night’s WNBA matchup between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries when an object, reportedly a lime green dildo, was thrown onto the court.
With the score tied 75-75 and less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter at Gateway Center Arena, the object dropped from the stands, bounced near the free throw line, and flew across the court, prompting stunned reactions from both players and broadcasters.
“Something flies on the court, I think there was something that flew from a fan on the court,” said play-by-play announcer Jacob Tobey as the game came to a halt.
Officials blew the whistle and called a timeout after Atlanta secured the rebound. Arena security and local police responded immediately, entering the court to remove the item and investigate the incident. Cameras briefly zoomed in on the bright green object before panning to fans pointing at the suspected section it was thrown from.
A female police officer took custody of the object and removed it from the court.